A series by the Southern Education Desk takes a more national look at the issue, and discusses some of the challenges that local districts in a number of southern states are facing in their efforts to adjust to the new goals, called the Common Core. While Louisiana is following through on its commitment to adopt the new standards, other states are considering dropping out after running into a number of problems with local budget constraints.

Another part of the series explores the question of whether the Common Core will actually be able to improve student achievement in low-performing states, such as Mississippi, or if students are currently too ill-equipped to meet the rigorous standards.